To animate a property is to change its value over time. In Premiere Pro, effect properties can be animated by assigning keyframes to them.

A keyframe marks the point in time where you specify a value, such as spatial position, opacity, or audio volume. To create a change in a property over time, you set at least two keyframes—one keyframe for the value at the beginning of the change, and another keyframe for the value at the end of the change. Premiere Pro then creates a gradual change in values between keyframes, called interpolation.

You can work with keyframes either In the Timeline or in the Effect Controls panel.

Add, select, and delete keyframes

Add keyframes

You can add keyframes in the Timeline or the
Effect Controls panel at the current time. Use the Toggle Animation
button in the Effect Controls panel to activate the keyframing process.

Note:

To
create keyframes in a track or on a clip, it is not necessary to
enable keyframe display.

Keyframe controls in Effect Controls panel

A. Toggle animation button B. Add/Remove keyframe button

In a Timeline panel, select the clip that contains
the effect you want to animate.

If you want to add and adjust keyframes in a Timeline panel, make keyframes visible for the video or audio track.

If the keyframes are not visible by default, click the Wrench icon in the Timeline panel, and select Show Video Keyframes.

Note:

If you are adding keyframes to a Fixed effect (Motion,
Opacity, or Volume) in a Timeline panel, you can skip step 3.

In the Effect Controls panel, click the triangle to expand the effect that you want to add keyframes to, and then click the Toggle Animation icon to activate keyframes for an effect property.

Do one of the following to display the effect property’s
graph:

(Effect Controls panel) Click the triangle
to expand the effect property and display its Value and Velocity
graphs.

(Timeline panel) Choose the effect property from
the effect menu next to the clip or track name.

Move the playhead to the point in time where you want to add a keyframe.

Do any of the following:

Click the Add/Remove Keyframe button in the Effect Controls panel and then adjust the effect property’s value.

Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) a keyframe graph using the Selection or Pen tool, and then adjust the effect property’s value. You can add a keyframe anywhere on a graph using the Selection or Pen tool. It’s not necessary to position the current-time indicator.

Note:

To add keyframes, it is not necessary to use a modifier key with the Pen tool. However, the modifier key is needed with the Selection tool.

(Effect Controls panel only) Adjust the controls for an effect’s property. This automatically creates a keyframe at the current time.

Repeat steps 5 and 6 as needed to add keyframes and adjust
the effect property.

Note:

Use the keyframe navigator arrow in
the Effect Controls panel to navigate to an existing keyframe if
you want to make further adjustments. It’s also a good technique
for setting up keyframes for other effects.

Select keyframes

If you want to modify or copy a keyframe,
first select it in a Timeline panel. Unselected keyframes appear
hollow; selected keyframes appear solid. You don’t need to select
segments between keyframes because you can drag segments directly.
Also, segments automatically adjust when you change the keyframes that
define their end points.

Do any of the following:

To select a keyframe, use the Selection tool or the Pen tool to click the Keyframe icon in the Timeline panel.

To select multiple keyframes, Shift-click with the Selection tool or the Pen tool to select multiple contiguous or noncontiguous keyframes in a Timeline panel.

Note:

When you position the Selection or Pen tool over a keyframe, the pointer appears with a Keyframe icon .

To select multiple keyframes by dragging in the Timeline panel, use the Pen tool to draw a marquee selection box around the keyframes. Shift-drag to add more keyframes to an existing selection.

Note:

In the Effect Controls panel, you can also use the Selection tool to drag and select multiple keyframes.

To select all keyframes for a property in the Effect Controls panel, click the layer property name. For example, click Position to select all the Position keyframes for a layer.

Delete keyframes

If you no longer need a keyframe, you can
easily delete it from an effect property in either the Effect Controls
or a Timeline panel. You can remove all keyframes at once or deactivate
keyframes for the effect property. In the Effect Controls, when you
deactivate keyframes with the Toggle Animation button, existing
keyframes are deleted and no new keyframes can be created until
you reactivate keyframes.

Make sure that the effect property’s graphs are
visible in the Effect Controls panel or Timeline panel.

Do one of the following:

Select one or more keyframes and choose Edit > Clear. You can also press Delete.

Navigate the current-time indicator to the keyframe and click the Add/Remove Keyframe button.

(Effect Controls panel only) To delete all keyframes for an effect property, click the Toggle Animation button to the left of the name of the effect or property. When prompted to confirm your decision, click OK.

Note:

When you deactivate the Toggle
Animation button, keyframes for that property are permanently removed
and the value of that property becomes the value at the current
time. You cannot restore deleted keyframes by reactivating the Toggle Animation
button. If you accidentally delete keyframes, choose Edit >
Undo.

View keyframes and graphs

The Effect Controls panel and Timeline panels let you
adjust the timing and values of keyframes, but they work in different
ways. The Effect Controls panel displays all effect properties,
keyframes, and interpolation methods at once. Clips in a Timeline
panel show only one effect property at a time. In the Effect Controls panel,
you have complete control over keyframe values. In a Timeline panel,
you have limited control. For example, you can’t change values that
use x and y coordinates, such as Position, in a Timeline. However,
you can make keyframe adjustments without moving to the Effect Controls
panel.

The graphs in the Timeline and Effect Controls panels display
the values of each keyframe and the interpolated values between
keyframes. When the graph of an effect property is level, the value
of the property is unchanged between keyframes. When the graph goes
up or down, the value of a property increases or decreases between
keyframes. You can affect the speed and smoothness of the property
changes from one keyframe to the next. Just change the interpolation
method and adjust Bezier curves.

View keyframes in the Effect Controls
panel

If you’ve added keyframes to a sequence clip, you can view them in the Effect Controls panel. Any effect containing keyframed properties displays Summary Keyframe icons when the effect is collapsed. Summary keyframes appear across from the effect heading and correspond to all the individual property keyframes contained in the effect. You cannot manipulate summary keyframes; they appear for reference only.

Select a clip in a Timeline panel.

If necessary, click the Show/Hide Timeline View button in the Effect Controls panel to show the effects timeline. If necessary, widen the Effect Controls panel to make the Show/Hide Timeline View button visible.

In the Effect Controls panel, click the triangle to the
left of the effect name to expand the effect you want to view. The
keyframes display in the Effect Controls timeline.

(Optional) To view the Value and Velocity graphs of an effect property, click the triangle next to the Toggle Animation icon.

View keyframes and properties in
a Timeline panel

If you’ve added keyframes to animate an effect,
you can view them and their properties in a Timeline panel. For
video and audio effects, a Timeline panel can display the keyframes
specific to each clip. For audio effects, a Timeline panel can also
display the keyframes for an entire track. Each clip or track can
display a different property. However, you can display the keyframes
for only one property at a time within an individual clip or track.

The
segments connecting keyframes form a graph that indicates changes
in keyframe values along the duration of the clip or track. Adjusting
keyframes and segments changes the shape of the graph.

(Optional) If the track is collapsed, click the
triangle to the left of the track name to expand it.

For a video track, click the Show Keyframes button , and
choose any of the following from the menu:

Show Keyframes

Displays the graph and keyframes of any video effect
applied to clips in the track. An effect menu appears next to the
clip name so you can choose the effect you want to view.

Show Opacity Handles

Displays the graph and keyframes of the Opacity effect for
each clips in the track.

Hide Keyframes

Hides the graphs and keyframes for all clips in the track.

For an audio track, click the Show Keyframes button , and
choose any of the following from the menu:

Show Clip Keyframes

Displays the graph and keyframes of any audio effect applied
to clips in the track. An effect menu appears next to the clip name
so you can choose the effect you want to view.

Show Clip Volume

Displays the graph and keyframes of the Volume effect
for each clips in the track.

Show Track Keyframes

Displays the graph and keyframes of any audio effect applied
to the entire track. An effect menu appears at the beginning of
the track so you can choose the effect you want to view.

Show Track Volume

Displays the graph and keyframes of the Volume effect applied
to the entire track.

Hide Keyframes

Hides the graphs and keyframes for all clips in the track.

(Optional) Use the Zoom In control to magnify the clip
so that the effect menu appears at the top of the track. You can
also drag the boundaries above and below the track name to increase
the track height.

(Optional) Drag the boundaries of a track header to change
the height of a track. For a video track, drag the top of the track.
For an audio track, drag the bottom of the track. To resize all
expanded tracks, hold down the Shift key while dragging.

(Optional) If you chose Show Keyframes, Show Clip Keyframes,
or Show Track Keyframes in steps 2 and 3, click the effect menu.
Then choose the effect that contains keyframes.

Place the pointer directly over a keyframe to view its
property in a tool tip.

The tool tip displays the keyframe location, as well
as the property and options you set for it in the Effect Controls
panel. Use this information for making precise keyframe placements.
You can quickly note the value you’ve set for a keyframe. You can
also quickly compare the location and change in value of two or
more keyframes.

Set keyframe display for a Timeline
panel

You can specify the types of keyframes shown
in the tracks of the Timeline. You can also specify whether keyframes
are shown at all, by default. For example, you can choose to have
keyframes hidden by default, so that you cannot set or change them
accidentally when trying to edit a clip.

Click the triangle in the New Timeline Audio Tracks field
to open the menu, and select one of the options.

Click the triangle in the New Timeline Video Tracks field
to open the menu, and select one of the options.

Move the current-time indicator
to a keyframe

Both the Effect Controls and a Timeline panels
have keyframe navigators, which have left and right
arrows to move the current-time indicator from one keyframe to the
next. In a Timeline panel, the keyframe navigator is enabled after
you activate keyframes for an effect property.

Do any of the following:

In the Timeline or Effect Controls panel,
click a keyframe navigator arrow. The left-pointing arrow moves
the current-time indicator to the previous keyframe. The right-pointing
arrow moves the current-time indicator to the next keyframe.

(Effect Controls panel only) Shift-drag the current-time
indicator to snap to a keyframe.

Modify keyframe values

Edit keyframe graphs in the Effect
Controls panel

Once you activate keyframing for an effect’s
property, you can display the effect’s Value and Velocity graphs.
Value graphs provide information about the value of nonspatial keyframes
(such as the Scale property of the Motion effect) at any point in
time. They also display and let you adjust the interpolation between keyframes.
You can use the Velocity graph to fine-tune the rate of change between
keyframes.

In a Timeline panel, select a clip containing
an effect containing keyframes you want to adjust.

In the Effect Controls panel, click the triangle to expand
the controls for the effect.

Click the triangle next to a property’s name to display
its Value and Velocity graphs.

Note:

If no keyframes have been added, the graphs appear
as flat lines.

(Optional) To better view a graph, hover the Selection
or Pen tool over the boundary line below a graph. When the pointer
turns into a segment pointer , drag
to increase the height of the graph area.

Use the Selection or Pen tool to drag a keyframe up or
down on the Value graph, changing the effect property’s value.

Note:

In a Value or Velocity graph, you cannot move a keyframe
left or right to change its current time. Instead, drag a keyframe
marker above the graph using the Selection or Pen tool.

Edit keyframe graphs from a Timeline
panel

Make sure a Timeline panel has at least
one clip containing one or more effects with keyframes. Select this
clip and select the Effect Controls panel.

Make sure that the keyframes for the clip or track are
visible in a Timeline panel.

In the Effect Controls panel, click the triangle next
to the control you want to adjust to expose its Value and Velocity
graphs.

In the effect menu that appears after the name of the
clip or track, select the property you want to adjust. If you can’t
see the effect menu, try increasing the magnification of a Timeline
panel.

Use the Selection or Pen tool to do one of the following:

If you want to edit multiple or nonadjacent
keyframes, select those keyframes.

Position the Selection or Pen tool over a keyframe
or keyframe segment. The Selection or Pen tool changes to the keyframe
pointer or
keyframe segment pointer .

Do any combination of the following:

Drag a keyframe or segment up or down to
change the value. As you drag, a tool tip indicates the current
value. If no keyframes are present, dragging adjusts the value for
the entire clip or track.

Drag a keyframe left or right to change the time
location of the keyframe. As you drag, a tool tip indicates the
current time. If you move a keyframe onto another keyframe, the
new keyframe replaces the old one.

The Value and Velocity graphs in the Effect Controls
panel will show changes made to keyframes in a Timeline panel.